Course Leader:  Rev Ash Barker & Tim Evans

Course Date:  Saturday 14 February

Course Options:  Full Price - £70  Early Bird - £65  (EB Deadline 14/01/2026) 

Course Timings:  9:30am for 10am - 4pm

Course Code:  D0426

Course Information:

Includes Morning Coffee, Lunch & Afternoon Tea

A day exploring an asset based approach to investing in local people working in and with communities. A participative day sharing together how we can invest in local people to become leaders in their neighbourhood through starting with their strengths and building their capacities for social and spiritual change. You’ll learn about tried and tested approaches, develop an understanding of using an asset based community development approach, explore practical tools and strategies you can use in your neighbourhood.

Course Leader Information:

Revd Dr Ash Barker leads the Seedbeds School for Shalom  at Nazarene Theological College, including pathways in Social and Community Transformation with specialist BA and MA units. He also supervises MA and PhD research students in related fields. An urban missiologist, shalom activist, and Pioneer Minister, Ash brings over 35 years of experience in unlocking the potential of local communities on three continents.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Ash lived and served for 12 years in Bangkok’s largest slum before relocating to inner-city Birmingham, UK, in 2014. He is a dynamic speaker and the author of nine books, including ‘Slum Life Rising’ , ‘Make Poverty Personal’ , and ‘No Wastelands’ . As founder and Executive Director of Seedbeds International, he works to release the unique potential within local people and places around the world through Seedbeds affiliates and partners. 

Ash lives in intentional community at Newbigin House in Winson Green (inner-city Birmingham) with his wife Anji, where they have also planted and lead two new local congregations with United Reformed Church. He’s passionate about pilgrimages, football, and helping communities flourish in the most unlikely places.

Tim Evans is passionate about enabling people to discover their passions, skills, gifts and talents, building a compassionate and connected life together in community.

Qualified Youth and Community Worker working with young people and communities since 1993. For 19 years was CEO of a small national organisation delivering youth work, community work and social enterprise, in particular with those who found themselves marginalised by society. He led that organisation to develop an asset based community development approach to its work. Has an M.A in Community Education and an M.A in Theology.

Since 2010 been part of leading community building in Hodge Hill in east Birmingham in a couple of communities including the one that he lives in and continues to be alongside practitioners, leaders, neighbourhoods, organisations, faith communities supporting them to develop ABCD approaches to their work.

Now a Senior Associate of Nurture Development delivering training, lecturing, mentoring and coaching, strategic and organisational development. With his wife Ria, Tim has been a foster carer since 2002 as well as having two daughters and enjoys sport of many kinds including his weekly ride with the community cycling club he helped found.